Introduction
Climate change is among the significant factors impacting ecological diversity on a worldwide scale. The growth of industries and the increasing human population globally have resulted in a rise in the volume of greenhouse gasses, which scientists have argued are the greatest contributors to the menace. The Florida Keys is one of the ecological treasures of the U.S. that continues to be impacted negatively by climate change and anthropogenic activities. This ecological treasure, which is located at the tip of the state of Florida, comprises about 1,700 islands that stretch for more than 200 miles to the west and south, before ending on the upper side of Cuba (Chase, 2010). The marine ecosystem of the Florida Keys region has been identified to be the only complete tropical marine ecosystem in the United States. However, increased human and industrial activities have become serious threats to the ecological survival of the region. The increased oil drilling and natural gas extraction on the Gulf of Mexico have augmented ship traffic on the Florida Coast, which is one of the reasons for the changing ecological landscape of Florida Keys.
This paper explores the potential impacts of climatic change and anthropogenic activities on the entire ecosystem to the South of Florida. In the first section, it provides a detailed description of the ecological characteristics of the Florida Keys. In the second one, it briefly touches on the historical and current ecological significance of the entire region, both to humans and the entire Florida ecosystem. In the third part, it gives a brief history of the South Florida environment. In the fourth section, it provides a detailed description of the current ecological status of the Florida Keys. Finally, it highlights the ecological landscape of the region under alternative scenarios, which include neglected and protected.
An Ecological Description of the Florida Keys
The National Marine Sanctuary of the region, which covers approximately 3,000 square miles of coastal waters as well as the submerged lands surrounding the Florida Keys, was designed to protect the area’s treasures for the sake of the current and future generations (Chase, 2010). Located just six miles from the Florida Keys is the only living barrier coral reef in North America, which happens to be the third longest in the whole world. Various living things, including marine mammals, such as Florida manatees, bottlenose dolphins, and humpback whales, have made the waters of the Florida Keys their home. Others include a variety of fish species, such as blue marlin, snapper, tarpon, grouper, and hammerhead sharks. On the other hand, shellfish, such as stone crabs and spiny lobster, and reptiles like the American alligator co-exist in the same ecosystem (Chase, 2010). Of the six species of marine turtles found in the United States waters, five can be found in the sanctuary. These include green, Kemp’s ridley, hawksbill, loggerhead, and leatherback. The Florida Keys ecosystem supports over 6,000 species of fish, plants, and invertebrates (Chase, 2010). The mangrove forests found in the Keys occupy almost half a million acres of the coastline of Florida and have been found to be prevalent in the region. The roots of the mangroves trap and recycle important nutrients and sediments across the larger ecosystem, where they serve as a critical nursery habitat for shellfish and other marine animals as well as feeding and nesting places for migrating and coastal birds.
Notably, the Florida Keys consists of the largest seagrass bed in the whole world. The seagrass meadows found in the region help to maintain water clarity as they trap fine sediments in their leaves. Through their roots, the seagrasses also help to stabilize the ocean floor, besides serving as food for various marine mammals, such as the manatees. They also provide an important habitat for fish and invertebrates (Chase, 2010).
The Historical and Current Significance of Florida Keys
It is important to note from the start that the Florida Keys depend on a healthy ocean ecosystem as well as on wildlife. According to recent economic analyses, an almost 50 percent drop in tourism and related spending have been recorded in the Florida Keys; the trend has been attributed to the issue of oil spills that have become prevalent in the recent past (Chase, 2010). Specifically, any oils spills occurring from the western edge of the Panhandle to the Florida Keys could result in huge economic losses of approximately $10 billion. They could also render about 200,000 people jobless (Chase, 2010).
According to an economic analysis of the Keys in 2004, the businesses operating in the ocean sector, starting from Monroe County, where Florida Keys is located, contributed almost $1.5 billion to the gross domestic product of the state (Chase, 2010). Most recently, a report by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which was released in 2008, established that the commercial fishing industry in the state, which is defined as seafood wholesalers and distributors, commercial harvest sector, seafood retailers, and seafood processors and dealers, generated almost $6 billion in sales and close to $4 billion in income (Chase, 2010). Apparently, Key West has been identified as one of the country’s top 20 producers of seafood in terms of dollar value. In fact, approximately 10 million pounds of fish worth about $39 million was processed through the Key West Port (Chase, 2010). However, the stipulated figure is the dock value; the real worth increases as fish moves through the value chain toward consumers in the retail market. Consequently, the expenditures from the recreational industry in Western Florida contributed about $ 6 billion in 2008 to the economy of the region (Chase, 2010). The industry also created and supported nearly 55,000 jobs for the region’s population. Additionally, expenditures from the recreational industry on the East Coast of Florida contributed about $4 billion regionally and sustained nearly 40,000 jobs for the sake of the population (Chase, 2010).
Notably, about 70 to 90 percent of the commercially important fish species in the Gulf region rely on coastal resources, such as seagrass beds, for food and shelter in the course of their lives. According to available statistics, the coast resources of Florida provide an estimated $11 billion annually for storm protection services. Most importantly, the coral reefs in the Florida Keys are among the top dive destinations globally (Chase, 2010). The significance of the region is also evident as it plays a crucial role in supporting almost 300 bird species that live or migrate through the vast ecosystem. For example, in 2006, approximately three million people participated in bird watching in the state (Chase, 2010). This recreational activity generated about three billion U.S. dollars with expenditures in the state being witnessed for equipment, such as binoculars and cameras.
The South Florida Environmental History
The ecosystem of South Florida was formed during the worldwide climatic changes and sea-level rise over the last several thousand years toward the close of the Pleistocene Era (McPherson & Halley, 1997). The ecosystem comprised mainly wetlands and shallow-water habitats that were set in a subtropical environment. In terms of physiography, the South Florida ecosystem consists of coastal waters that are placed between the Charlotte Harbor and the St. Lucie River on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean respectively. Other physiographic elements include the Lake Wales Ridge, the Big Cypress Swamp, the Flatwoods, the Everglades, the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, the Coastal Glades, the mangroves, and the Florida Keys (McPherson & Halley, 1997). The coastal waters entail a system of interconnected estuaries, coral reefs, bays, and lagoons, which include Ten Thousand Islands, Charlotte Harbor, Biscayne Bay, Whitewater Bay, Florida Bay, and the Florida Reef Tract.
The Florida Keys, which are found in the South Florida ecosystem, are a series of 1,700 low limestone islands that extend approximately 150 miles southwest of the mainland (McPherson & Halley, 1997). The altitude of these islands rarely exceeds five feet above the sea level, and there is a narrow shelf that runs along the Atlantic Coast in which the seafloor drops sharply onto the Straits of Florida. The clear, tropical water of the Florida Current, which is favorable in the development of coral reefs, bathes the Atlantic Coast.
At the time that the Europeans were settling in the New Land in the mid-1800s, the South Florida region was a vast, subtropical wilderness that comprised swamps, pine trees, marshes, hardwood hammocks, bays, and estuaries (Odum, McLvor, & Smith III, 1982). The landscape was dominated by wetlands, where one of the largest one in the continental United States, known as the Everglades, was located. The Everglades was part of a larger watershed that extended for almost half of the entire Florida Peninsula. This watershed was dubbed the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades. The Big Cypress Swamp and the Everglades stretched across the southern part of the peninsula, which is to the south of Lake Okeechobee, as a continuous wetland. It is this watershed and the wetlands that provided the freshwater that was fundamental for the sustenance of abundant fisheries in the coastal waters.
Apparently, the wetlands of South Florida were regarded as inhospitable and lacking any intrinsic value. In fact, by the 1900s, draining the wetlands was seen as essential for the sustenance of commerce and safety purposes (McPherson & Halley, 1997). The flooding that resulted from hurricanes in the 1920s hastened the drainage activities, especially in the Everglades. In the present day, much of South Florida’s wetlands are adequately managed, including approximately 1,500 miles of primary canals as well as more than 1000 water control structures (McPherson & Halley, 1997). As a result of drainage and development, much of the South Florida ecosystem has experienced a variety of environmental disturbances, such as the loss of nutrient enrichment, loss of soil, mercury buildup, contamination by pesticides, loss of wetlands and their functionality, fragmentation of landscape, increased algal blooming, declines in fishing resources, widespread invasion by foreign species, and seagrass die-off.
Most importantly, changes in the hydrologic system of the South Florida ecosystem are thought to be responsible for the dramatic decline in wildlife and fish populations in the region. In fact, today, competition for water in South Florida is intense and divided between agricultural activities in the South and North of Lake Okeechobee and the rapidly growing population along the Florida coast on one hand and the only surviving ecosystem found in the state and federal reserves, parks, preserves, and sanctuaries on the other. Indeed, meeting the water resource demands of these competing interests has over the years proven to be a difficult and complicated task. The quantity of water required for agricultural and urban usage most of the time exceeds the supply. It is a fact that animals and plants, just like humans, have critical requirements for water because they rely on this resource to survive in the wet and dry seasons. Apparently, the requirements for water quality vary extensively in the South Florida region. The natural biota of the Everglades, for example, requires water that is low in phosphorous concentration (McPherson & Halley, 1997). On the other hand, agricultural areas require water rich in phosphorous concentration (McPherson & Halley, 1997). These conditions are the source of direct competition for water resources in the South Florida ecosystem.
The Current Ecological Status of the Florida Keys
The Florida Keys faces an imminent threat from the Gulf oil spills that have become prevalent in the Florida coast. Such leaks are a threat to the marine life in the Florida Keys as well as the recreation, food, and valuable jobs that depend on the resources present in the ecosystem. For example, the coral reefs found abundantly in the Florida Keys are already disturbed by the pollution, water acidification, and wring effects that result from increased oil drilling and natural gas extraction (Chase, 2010). The submerged plumes of oil droplets have been found to be deadly to coral life as oil destroys microorganisms and algae that corals rely on for food. An analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranked mangroves as second among the 28 shoreline ecosystems that faced the greatest vulnerability to oil spills. This was in consideration of the threat that such spills cause to animal and plant life as well as the cleanup difficulty. Additionally, all the six marine turtle species found in the U.S. waters face imminent extinction due to oil spills (Chase, 2010). Scientists indicate that oil in the waters causes skin irritation to turtles, which increases their susceptibility to various infections. Additionally, the chemicals that the turtles inhale can cause serious damage to their gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts as well as impair their kidney and liver functionalities. Scientists also indicate that the turtles that ingest tarballs might experience the ‘floating syndrome’, where inhaled gas prevents the creatures from feeding and diving, and this can result in starvation (Chase, 2010). Lastly, scientists have indicated that oil can increase egg mortality and result in serious deformities in hatchlings in the marine turtle population.
Birds, such as shorebirds, especially the sandpipers, which migrate from South America to the Arctic for breeding purposes, are also among the affected species (Chase, 2010). Scientists have found that as a result of feeding on oil-contaminated prey, these birds face long-term chronic effects that can result in reproductive failures. For example, several years after the infamous Exxon Valdez oil disaster, scientists found black oystercatchers in the contaminated areas reduced breeding rates as well as produced smaller eggs compared to other populations in uncontaminated regions (Chase, 2010).
Similarly, scientists are concerned that a loss of just three whales in the sperm whale population in the Mexican Gulf with approximately 1,600 whales could risk the long-term survival of the species (Chase, 2010). Since a sperm whale only gives birth to three to four calves in its entire lifetime, the fear is understandable. Considering that sperm whales surface to breathe, oil can have serious health effects on these creatures besides negatively impacting squids, which is one of the sperm whale’s main preys. The Exxon Valdez oil spill reduced some populations of killer whales by as much as 40 percent (Chase, 2010).
Notably, almost the entire breeding population of bluefin tuna migrates via the Florida Straits and into the Gulf of Mexico from mid-April to June (Chase, 2010). In the recent times, this species has been petitioned for federal protection as part of endangered species. Undoubtedly, the continued Gulf oil spills will result in long-term effects on the Florida ecosystem. According to the scientists who investigated the long-term impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil disaster, about 20,000 gallons of spilled oil remains in the Prince William Sound region, which has continued to threaten the already endangered species of animals and plants as well as undermine the habitat’s recovery process (Chase, 2010). In the current Florida ecosystem, sea birds, mammals, shellfish, fish, and other sea life continue to be vulnerable to oil pollution as well as long-term lethal effects of toxic substances that can impair their reproductive processes for generations to come. In this regard, numerous studies have established that small amounts of oil can adversely harm pink salmon and result in egg failure. For example, the Exxon Valdez disaster resulted in severe damage to herring fishing in the Prince William Sound Pacific.
Consequently, researchers have established the potential long-term effects on seabirds, crabs, shellfish, sea otters, and whales years after the oil spill in Massachusetts and Alaska, where issues ranged from contaminated eggs, altered blood chemistry, long-term population declines, and high levels of stress hormones (Chase, 2010).
With regard to the mangroves, there have been disagreements over the total acreage occupied in Florida, with certain quarters suggesting 430,000 and others 500,000 acres (Odum, McLvor, & Smith III, 1982). Indeed, there are several reasons why these disagreements thrive, including the exclusion or inclusion in surveys of the small ponds, bays, and creeks that occur within the mangrove forests and the incorrect demarcation of mangrove regions from the point of view of aerial photography.
Prospecting into the Ecological Future of Florida Keys under Alternative Scenarios
Neglected
During the 1980s, people began noticing widespread neglect, damage, and bleaching of coral reefs (McPherson & Halley, 1997). This happened in places with not only increased human traffic but also in areas of undisturbed peace. The most severe bleaching and neglect of the coral reefs were observed in 1998, a time that corresponded with the El Nino weather phenomenon. Estimates indicate that it takes from 50 t0 100 years for a coral reef to recover from one bleaching event (McPherson & Halley, 1997). Therefore, considering the numerous bleaching events that have occurred in the Florida ecosystem, it could take half a millennium for the restoration of the Florida coral reefs to their normal levels.
Protection
Today, some areas within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary have been given special designations, such as ‘No Take’ and ‘Research Only’ meaning that no form of collecting or fishing activity is permitted. Consequently, these forms of designations are a way of preserving the crucial animal and plant species as well as habitats in the Florida ecosystem. For example, the Tortugas Ecological Reserve was placed under protection recently and designated as an ecologically protected reserve (McPherson & Halley, 1997).
Over the years, the Gulf Stream has been used as a route for shipping, where commercial ships transited through the Florida Keys. Today, due to restrictions on international shipping, the coral reefs of this area have been protected as ‘No-Anchoring Zones’ providing protection of the reefs. Most importantly, the change of shipping lanes from ecologically sensitive areas has helped to protect the region’s ecosystem. In 1990, the sanctuary in the region was federally designated as a no-go zone (McPherson & Halley, 1997). Designating such places as particularly sensitive areas could help to change shipping routes and thus protect important ecological locations going forward. However, such designations must go through approval by the organizations that control and manage shipping traffic in the Florida waters and other coastal waters with ecological significance in the United States. Currently, only two areas have been designated as ecologically sensitive in the world, and both contain coral reefs. These are the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago near Cuba and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
Conclusion
Climate change and increased human activity are the two most significant factors affecting the global ecosystem. Worldwide, ecologically sensitive areas continue to face threats from adverse climatic conditions, such as the increased greenhouse gasses coming from growing industries as well as increased human activities, such as offshore oil drilling and natural gas extraction. The Florida Keys is among the most ecologically rich and sensitive areas in the United States. The ecological diversity of this region is so vast and abundant such that it requires protection for existing and future generations. Formed during the close of the Pleistocene Age, the Florida ecosystem has continued to face an imminent threat that might result in the annihilation of the rich animal and plant diversity. For example, the Exxon Valdez oil disaster stands as an example that increased oil shipping in the Florida waters is a threat to the entire Florida marine ecosystem. Therefore, the Florida Keys should have a designated ecologically sensitive area to protect not only the marine animal and plant diversity but also the critical coral reefs that take a considerable amount of time to restore once they are destroyed. Just like the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago near Cuba and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, the Florida Keys must be marked as an ecologically sensitive region for the sake of posterity.
References
Chase, A. (2010). What’s at stake: The ecological and economic future of the Florida Keys. New York, NY: National Resources Defense Council.
McPherson, B. F., & Halley, R. (1997). The South Florida environment: A region under stress. Denver, CO: U.S. Geological Survey.
Odum, W. E., McLvor, C. C., & Smith III, T. J. (1982). The ecology of the mangroves of South Florida: A community profile. Washington, DC: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Sciences.
